Mom knit this little confection for me from Textiles a Mano Rocky Road and Loopity Loop. It's the Raveneli Vest by Jeanne Abel, another clever knit-in-the-round-from-the-outside-in sort of thing. That people can think in these spatial terms renders me speechless. Mom, too. She had no idea from whence she was knitting until she bound off. Cute, isn't it? Kind of Haight-Ashbury-by-way-of-the-Mongolian-Steppe.

Speaking of Mongolia, we supped on our first yak burgers Friday night. Yak is an extremely lean meat, apparently high in Omega 3 fatty acids and other beneficial goodies. It doesn't sizzle on the grill but rather squats, browning slowly in its own time. Cook it quickly and I suspect you'd end up with hockey pucks.

Overall, we were impressed. It produces burgers that are dense and light tasting--yes, a bit like poultry but with the texture of beef. We served it with grilled potatoes and a salad of mixed greens, basil and pine nuts in a balsamic vinaigrette. A peach frozen yogurt sundae followed.

Yak, it's the new bison.

Meet Elysium. She's a clever little vest from TroubleDog Designs, a miracle of short-rowing for extra cuppage in the proper spots. I am in awe of people who can think architecturally. Jennifer Dassau, who designed this piece, imagined a vest knit side-to-side in three dimensions (and no seaming!) then realized it. Extraordinary. To have that kind of spatial intelligence, well, you could just kick Google Maps to the curb couldn't you? She fits like a glove, too. Maybe a bit too much like a glove, but that's the prude in me talking. 

Check out the short rows!

The yarn was a dream: Voodoo in the Africa colorway, a DK-weight, merino superwash from Creatively Dyed Yarn. Though it makes for a darling garment, the variegated yarn obscures those sweet short rows. Next time, a semi solid. 

All in all a tremendous success. Elysium is a great summer project: Not-too-heavy, easy-on-the-brain, and perfectly packable.

The gift knitting has been lagging. It's a miracle that the children for whom the above are intended aren't college freshmen by now. There's a wedding gift to finish--months delayed--a graduation gift, and more bambini coming. If only I could put the cats to work.

I needed an emetic a palette cleanser after Grrrrrrreta. Something small, different and undemanding. With the weather trending warm and the farmer's markets about to start, I thought a market bag would be just the ticket.

Stash shopping produced some leftover hemp and a Ravelry search unearthed this pattern. Mine's slightly abridged, given the amount of yarn on hand. Don't you think it will cut a lovely swath through the market filled with beets and bristling with kale?

Happy shopping, everyone!

Would ya look at them pineapples! (But not too closely.) Though this is riddled with errors, Blue Curacao (now Burgundy Curacao) is extremely forgiving and what a stunner. Makes you want to put on your flamenco shoes and cha cha cha. Or something.

The deets:

4 balls of Rowan Calmer in 472, now discontinued

Size I crochet hook

Blue Curacao from Amazing Crochet Lace by Doris Chan

Seedling from Cheryl Oberle's Knitted Jackets in Noro Silk Garden Lite, doubled

I'm so accustomed to "effing" up my sweaters that I was convinced that the above would require serious surgery before meeting the public. So into a plastic bag it went, where it lived for months amidst the dust, viewbooks and errant skeins that make my office such a showplace.

Feeling an uncharacteristic need for order, I conducted an archaelogical dig of the atelier prior to the holiday and rediscovered this unfinished pretty among the ruins. Looking at it with fresh eyes, I was overjoyed to discover I had not boloxed it up and that all it needed to become a sweater was a button band and buttons.

Hence the contest.

My statistics show that there are many of you out there who are choosing to remain mum. Either you are shy or listened to your mother when she said, "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all."

Here's your opening: I'm offering something very cool from my stash, if you can guess correctly which buttons I chose to sew onto this cardigan. Hint: I used four of the same vintage buttons and did not mix-and-match. The button I chose is displayed in the above photograph.

Comment with a description of the button and your email address. Deadline for guessing is Dec. 16, Beethoven's birthday.

I'll post prize photos tomorrow. Happy guessing!

Laura Chau's Simple, Yet Effective Shawl knit in Farmhouse Yarns' Andy's Merino in Aruba

A good friend will soon celebrate her AARP-colonoscopy-milestone birthday and as such, deserves something handknit. This particular pal works at home, is easily chilled and is a bit of a Dead Head.

In an other time, we would have been grandmothers huddled by the fire in our shawls. But today we are huddled over our laptops. A chunky merino shawl with some cheek seemed like just the ticket. 

This is Carol's Clever Little Shawl knit in an experimental version of Cheryl Oberle's Dancing Colors; the pattern is available free on Cheryl Oberle's site.

It was designed by Carol Sanders based on a pattern from the 19th century and has such a sweet, old-fashioned feel to it. If I were to knit it again, I would knit two fewer lace points (I made the smaller size), but I love this. Wrap it around your neck and wear it as a scarf or cover your shoulders against the chill.

I would love to do something similar without the lace to make it less girly. But it's been perfect for our first snowy weekend.

Tomorrow we're off to Vermont for some East Coast leaf looking. Any good fiber stops in the Bennington area?

Hugs to all!

So as not to have to do my hair and train Nake-id IT in the use of the camera, I enlisted the help of the next America's Top Model. Look how he works that neckwarmer!

Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed, 853 Deep Purple, three skeins

Hook: J/10

Finished size: 18" x 22" tube

Gauge: 12 sts sc=4"

Wattle Warmer

Ch 96 loosely and without twisting ch, sl st in first ch.

Rnd 1 and all subsequent rnds: Ch1, sc in first ch, sc in each ch around, sl st in first sc to join.

Continue until piece measures 22" or desired length. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Wear myriad ways.

Watch for the "Wattle Warmer" Scrunchy Cowl, Monday. Assuming I can get Nake-id IT to cooperate.

Have a splendid weekend!